India calls for strong global cooperation in dealing with fugitive economic offenders

Mukesh Ranjan
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 5

India on Saturday asserted that the world community needed a strong and aligned international cooperation to bring to book fugitive economic offenders and their assets, as the countries individually are faced with challenges of combating graft, as wrong-doers move to safe heaven elsewhere.

Addressing the Special Session of the UN General Assembly on ‘Challenges and Measures to Prevent and Combat Corruption and Strengthen International Cooperation’, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said: “India’s Fugitive Economic Offenders Act 2018 empowers authorities for non-conviction-based attachment and confiscation of proceeds of crime and properties and assets of a such wrong-doers – against whom a warrant for arrest in relation to a Scheduled Offence has been issued by any court in India and who has left the country to avoid criminal prosecution or judicial processes”.

In view of this Singh called for “a strong and aligned international cooperation” on the return of people and assets sought for such offences, “consistent with international obligations and domestic legal systems”.

According to an official statement, the minister said as the accused take shelter in foreign countries and conceal the proceeds of crime in complex legal structures spread over different countries and jurisdictions, the gaps and weaknesses of international cooperation in this area are “fully exploited by such fugitives to their advantage”.

Singh, however, conveyed India’s appreciation to all the countries, who are taking this fight ahead in the right direction by “intensifying efforts, sustaining political commitment and decisive action”, at all levels, against preventing and combating corruption by way of endorsing the United Nations Political declaration.

He said India provides Mutual Legal Assistance to the widest possible extent and it has strengthened its domestic law and widened the scope for international co-operation with contracting states and international organisations.